A Fox in the Clouds
by Studebaker1960
Summary: adopted from Eternal Theif. will put summery up later.
1. To the Clouds We Go

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A Fox in the Clouds

Naruto hid behind a tree cringing in fear. Behind him Iruka, his academy teacher, battled his faux academy teacher, Mizuki. In his arms he held the Scroll of Sealing. He began to silently weep as heard his teacher and mentor was struck by several projectiles. He heard Iruka fall down and Mizuki began to laugh.

"You hear me Naruto!? Iruka never loved you! The truth is, you're the Demon Fox that killed his parents! He pretended to befriend you so he could kill you. YOU'RE THE DEMON FOX! YOU HEAR ME!? THE DEMON FOX!" Mizuki yelled. Before Iruka could protest one of Mizuki's giant shuriken pierced him through the throat. All that emerged was a throaty gurgle and foaming blood. Mizuki suddenly stopped moving. His face showed an expression of fear and surprise. He fell motionless off the tree branch on which he was standing. Naruto looked up and blinked in surprise. A figure cloaked in dark colors landed a few feet in front of him. Naruto did nothing too afraid to move. The figure slowly turned to face him.

"Who are you young child? And why are you out here all alone? Shouldn't you be home with your family?" The ninja made an attempt at kindness but the child just started to cry. The ninja felt saddened. "There there, what's wrong?" The ninja asked concern evident on his face.

"I don't have a family! And now I can't even become a Genin! My teachers turned against me. They hated me all along. They tricked me into stealing the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's office, just to have an excuse to kill me, and I'm actually the evil Kyuubi that attacked Konoha 8 years ago!" After this rant Naruto broke down into tears. The ninja bent down to him.

"There there child it's okay. Come with me, I'll take you to place to where you'll be welcome. You won't be shunned, and you can even become a ninja!"

"REALLY!" The boy jumped up shouting in glee. The ninja smiled. He bent down and allowed the child to climb on his back. As he did he thought he saw the child's eyes flash red for an instant. The ninja just shook his head and jumped into the trees. The Raikage wouldn't be too pleased he hadn't acquired either the Sharingan or the Byakugan, but this child could prove to be more promising than either. The ninja from the Village Hidden in the Clouds had no idea how right this statement was.


	2. the Raikage and the Fox

The young Naruto plodded along behind the taller jounin

The young Naruto plodded along behind the taller jounin. The jounin would occasionally glance back to make sure Naruto was following him. They would be passing though non-ninja territories. The first of these territories, The Land of Wheat, (I'm making this up), would provide a bit of a challenge. The only ninja villages they were in contact with were Sound, and Konoha. Lightning was separated form them by The Land of Tea. (Again, making up these countries. For reference check out the "Naruto Geography" on Wikipedia.) The jounin realized they would require disguises. Even though Naruto wasn't known in these countries Konoha would be looking for him. And Lightning did not want a war from Konoha, only their bloodlines. The jounin took another glance behind him and sighed. The kid was hopping around making as much noise as he possibly could. Didn't they teach these kids stealth at the academy? Any kid at his age worth his salt in Lightning would be trailing behind with as little noise as possible. Hell, a teacher would probably fail a student in their stealth test with that kind of performance. A look of realization dawned on the jounin. The reason this kid was a genin at age 8 was because he had passed every test flawlessly no matter what his performance. 1 Those BASTARDS wanted the kid to get killed! The jounin took a deep breath and turned around to Naruto.

"Hey kid, what do you know about stealth?"

Naruto looked up and gave him a blank stare. "What's that?" The jounin nearly fell over but caught himself. The kid didn't even know what stealth was! The jounin took another deep breath before speaking again.

"Stealth is a ninja's most important tool. No, kunai and shuriken aren't as useful as stealth. And jutsu? Psh, without stealth you'll have 15 knives in your head before you can make a hand sign. Stealth is the art of trickery. Stealth involves blending into your surroundings, making absolutely no noise. Stealth makes a ninja. Now, for you to learn stealth I want you to follow behind me and make as little noise as possible. And I'll randomly turn around, and before I do, yes, you have to anticipate when I'll move, I want you to hide from my sight. This will help you practice stealth, ok?" the jounin took a large breath after his long-winded talk. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and nodded his head vigorously. The jounin smiled, the boy was getting it already.

The jounin kept walking. He occasionally turned around to see Naruto attempting to hide behind a bush or a tree. One time, he spun around, and couldn't see Naruto anywhere. He puzzled over it for a few minutes, then looked down and saw Naruto sitting on the ground. He had been expecting to be hiding so much, that he didn't think to look right in front if himself. He realized the best place to hide something IS in plain sight. He kept walking. An hour or so later he turned around and couldn't see Naruto anywhere, and he did check right in front of him. He shrugged, and turned around figuring he would follow him when suddenly he pooped up in his face.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!" the jounin screamed holding his breath afterwards.

"Excuse me Mr. Kumo-Man, what's your name?" Naruto asked innocently. The jounin blinked. He hadn't told the kid his name? Well of course if the kid was calling him "Mr. Cloud Man."

"Well, you see my name is actually Akakumo. (Red Cloud)"

"Aka…kumo?" Naruto mouthed the word a few times to get the taste of it.

"Yes Naruto, Akakumo. But you know, your name doesn't fit very well. Why not think of a new one? A new identity for a new start eh?"

Naruto thought hard for a minute. "Kurokoori."2 Akakumo blinked once or twice before grinning. "Black Ice eh? Red Cloud and Black Ice, ya know, this is the start of something grand don'tcha think so Kurokoori?" Kurokoori grinned back at Akakumo.

"Just call me Kuro Aka, it's easier to say." Kuro grinned. Aka grinned back at him, accepting his new name. The two continued their walk to Kumo. As they walked, if one looked very closely with eyes sharper than any Sharingan, then they just might have noticed a slight glimmer of red around Akakumo, and the tiniest hint of black by Kurokoori. (I'd end it here, but I know how you guys love lengthy chapters, and I still haven't reached where I wanna be, so, onto Lightning!)

_Several Hours later in the Ninja Village of Kumogakure_

Aka and Kuro walked through a small mountain passageway coming up to the entranceway to Kumo. "Aka, I don't see what's so great about this place a bunch of rocks here and there. And I thought Kumo was going to be exciting." Kuro pouted.

"Oh just you wait and see Kuro." Aka said as they turned another corner. When they did, Kuro's mouth hit the floor. In front of him was something he would have never suspected, guessed, or known was up here, or could even exist here.

It was a large indention into the mountain top forming a large bowl. In the bowl was a large island. Surrounding the island was a large moat intensely hot steaming water. Several people could be seen swimming in the water. Encompassing the island were large caramel colored gates. There were 4 gates Facing North, East, South, and West. There was no clear bridge or walkway leading to the island. But what was truly mesmerizing, was the sprawling utopia on the island. In the center was a large tower that was built much higher than the other buildings in the area. Not to say the other buildings were short by any means. Every building towered over the landscape. The shortest building could easily outdo the Hokage Tower back in Konoha. The tallest tower was obviously the Raikage's tower. Its height symbolized its importance. Not to mention the Kumo symbol with a lightning bolt crossing it adorning the South wall. (They are approaching the village form the South.) The buildings shone magnificently. Many people could be seen going about their days. One man was even seen diving off a large building to land in the water below among a group of people. Aka turned to Kuro smiling expecting to him ecstatic, but instead, he got tears.

"Kuro, is there something wrong? You seem sad." Aka was concerned. He thought bringing the boy to Kumo had been good for him. But if he was acting like this maybe it wasn't the right thing to do…

"There's nothing wrong Aka-aniki. 3 It's just, something about this place feels…right. It reminds me of a family."

"A family? How so?"

"Always there for you in your time of need. There to comfort you, always having a shoulder to cry on, and a wall to beat on. It's just…good. There's no other way to describe it."

Aka smiled at him before grinning. "Race ya to the water!" He took off running as fast as he could. Well, not really. This was just for fun. Kuro blinked before taking off after him. "No fair Aka-aniki!"

As they hit the edge of the water they stopped. Kuro was about to jump in before Aka grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Not until we see the Raikage." Kuro just crossed his arms and pouted. Aka laughed before turning to the gate.

"Hey! Open up!"

A voice responded from the other side. "Akakumo? Why do you need the bridge? You can get across just fine!"

"Yeah I know, but I have someone with me who needs to see the Raikage and he can't walk across, so open up!" The voice grumbled before a figure appeared on top of the gates. A second figure appeared on the opposite side. Gathering chakra they slammed their hands into the pillars. Kuro was about to respond to how nothing had happened, but just then the gates began to slide open with no noise. In front of them a large bridge of yellow appeared before them. It had lightning running through it, and this was when Kuro realized it was a bridge of chakra. The chakra was being held together by the electricity coursing through it. Aka calmly walked across while Kuro trailed behind him staring in wonder at the bridge and everything around him. Kuro looked to the side to see people splashing and laughing in the hot water. There was a small dock with a much smaller gate, obviously the entrance to that particular area of the water. Kuro thought it was stupid at first but then realized its ingenuity. Having a side door for everyone in the water allowed people to freely move in and out without having to extend the bridge for any civilians. The bridge itself was also a matter of technological ingenuity. By having two shinobi focus chakra into the generators based on top of the gates it created an electrical current and expelled excess chakra creating the bridge. Kuro also realized the gates were made of metal meaning the bridge could be extended all around the entire village in case it was needed, in a case such as a large wall. Kuro may not have been a genius, but when it came to deductive abilities, someone in his place had to be on his toes at all times. And the best time to practice observational skills was in the middle of day. You never know what you might find…

"Kuro! Hurry up!" Aka yelled from in front of him. Kuro hurried to catch up to Aka.

As they walked through the city Kuro marveled at the ingenuity of the place. There were mechanical marvels that he had never heard of before. He watched as civilians flew by on boards that hovered a few inches above the ground. Shinobi rode them a foot or more. Some were even flying them far above the streets. Teenagers could be seen on ramps doing flips and twists. Kuro just wondered how these people could do these things. What also surprised him were the contraptions on the sides of buildings. People would step in, press a button, and the contraption would move to another level of the building and the people would enter the building. Aka watched the amazement on Kuro's face and just chuckled.

"I'm sure the Raikage can answer any questions you have about our village here Kuro." Aka reassured him. Kuro just slightly nodded still amazed at the marvels of Kumo.

_A Short While Later in the Yondaime Raikage's Office 4_

The Raikage looked at the two figures standing in front of him. He folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. "So…Aka. Please explain to me how my Elite ANBU failed to retrieve either a Hyuuga or an Uchiha and instead brings me this… this… whatever the hell he is! One thing is for sure; he has no bloodline limit, and is therefore useless to us! I trusted you would be able to retrieve one of them since you were one of my Elite ANBU squad. I guess I was wrong." Before the Raikage could elaborate the temperature in the room dropped several degrees and everyone's attention was drawn towards the shorter figure of Kuro.

As he spoke his chakra flared out around him, red mixing with blue, with black seeping in 5. His anger was evident from his tone. "How DARE you! You fucking little prick. Aka-aniki saved my life, and brought me here so I could actually live a normal life as a shinobi of the cloud, but if you're going to put me down, and even go so far as to insult Aka-aniki then with Kami as my witness heaven help me I will fucking kill you where you sit!" Kuro's chakra flailed malevolently around him. The black chakra quickly overtook the blue chakra and enveloped it, while the red chakra still defied attempts at assimilation. The Raikage blinked, and Aka stared an appalled look on his face.

"Raikage-sama! I am so sorry I'm sure he didn't mean any disrespect I will…"

Before Aka could finish the Raikage began to laugh. "You'll kill me for that will you kid? I like your spunk! Cloud can always use shinobi like you boy! However, you're far too weak even for a genin at the moment boy. Although, I'm sure Aka wouldn't mind training you for a while. You two seemed attached to each other already! But first, tell me boy, what's with your black and red chakra? I've heard of red chakra usually associated with demons, but black chakra, never have I heard something of that sort."

"I… I don't really know Rai-sama. I just got angry and it was there. And the red… I… I… I'm not a demon! I know I'm not! Back in Konoha everyone used to hate me, and call me demon, and hurt me, but I'm not a demon, I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!!" Kuro was getting quite upset over all of this. Then, the Raikage did something Aka never expected, he hugged the boy.

"There there, I don't think of you as a demon at all! The only people that are demons are the ones who would hurt you for no reason. So tell me, where are you from again6"

"I… I'm from K-Konoha."

The Raikage began muttering to himself. "From Konoha… red chakra… seen as a demon…" the Raikage cleared his throat and stood up. "Very well then, Aka, I want you to take this boy out around town for a little while. When I ask you to come back, I'll have a residence set up for the boy and a plan as to what happens next. Good day Akakumo." With that, the Raikage ushered them out of his office.


	3. Secrets of Cloud Pt 1

Kuro looked around at the towering structures once again as Aka laid his hand on Kuro's shoulder

Kuro looked around at the towering structures once again as Aka laid his hand on Kuro's shoulder. Kuro looked up at him. "Well kid, looks like I'm taking you around town. Well, first thing, we need to stop and get you an uku-ita (Float Board) 1." Kuro just looked at Aka before nodding.

Aka and Kuro set off into the maze of towering structures. Walking was no joy. The ground, although smooth, was hard and unpleasantly hot. Several people that went by on the same flat contraptions as before waved at Aka and smiled at Kuro. Kuro just looked back unsure of what to do. Aka would just give him a reassuring look and keep walking. After a half hour of walking they came to a tall building. Well, one of them anyways. Aka walked into one of the shells that Kuro saw earlier. Kuro watched in anticipation as Aka pressed a button with the kanji for '16' on it on a pad containing 50 buttons and kanji for the numbers 150. . The shell began to move up the building in a quick but smooth pace. It quickly came to a stop and its door opened leading into a hallway. Aka walked in with Kuro hurrying behind. They walked down the short hallway and came to s single steel door. Aka tapped the door and waited.

The door slid open partially and revealed a pair of black goggled eyes. "Eh? What d'you crazy freaks want now? I'm busy working here!" An aggravated voice of what seemed to be an aging man came form behind the door.

"It's just me Miseinen (Minor youth)." Aka said with a laugh.

The steel door slid open and the man motioned for them to come in. "Akakumo? Is it really you! Come in, come in! It's been so long. Don't tell me you destroyed you uku-ita again? That one was a masterpiece. I might as well start making your new one…" the man muttered.

As he spoke Kuro studied the man. He wore black goggles over his eyes. He had large black rubber gloves on his hand, and sturdy leather boots on his feet. He wore a yellow-ish suit of some type of thick tough leather. He wore a white burn stained apron over that. His hair was wild and frizzy and stood out like wires. His hair was a bleached snowy white. He scurried around the room looking at various instruments and metal scraps. He was muttering about stupid 'cloud-men' busting their uku-ita. Kuro just sighed.

"Actually Miseinen, the board I need is not for me." At this the man became much happier and perked up.

"It's not eh? So, who's the board for? A secret love interest perhaps? A good board is truly the way to either man or woman's heart. Forgot all those fancy clothes and chocolates and such, one of my boards is the best way to continue your family 2!" At this Aka choked. He coughed before shaking his head.

"No. It's not for me or some secret love interest. The board is for my companion here." Aka spoke placing his hand on top of Kuro's head. Kuro looked up, and then at the old man.

"You sure he can handle one of my boards?"

"Ask him yourself. You know better than anyone." Kuro was about to open his mouth to say he could answer before Miseinen shook his head. Miseinen took off his glove revealing an old old hand creased with wrinkles. He placed his hand on top of Kuro's head before closing his eyes for a few minutes. He opened his eyes and bent down to Kuro's level.

"Sir, what is your name?" Miseinen asked.

"Kurokoori, Miseinen-sama." Kuro answered slightly afraid of what would happen next.

"Very well, take this one." Miseinen said tossing Kuro what looked like a useless piece of steel carved into a board shape.

"That's it! You're just going to give him one of the worst boards imaginable, it's only a training board for god's sake! Couldn't you." Before he could finish Miseinen glared at him.

"That piece of… of… SHIT is NOT that boy's uku-ita! This boy contains something, I'm not sure what it is, but whatever he contains, it calls to me. It speaks from one artist to another, calling out to the one inside of me. You know how long it's been I made a custom board. And I don't mean like yours. I mean one that… never mind that. The boy does not need to know of it now." Miseinen said. Aka looked at him in shock. He making one of _those_ boards for Kuro? Aka glanced at Kuro who was looking at the 'piece of shit', in his hand. If Kuro was deemed worthy of one of those then maybe, just maybe he… No. It was impossible. That incident was buried deep in the archives, and was erased from memory. It was impossible for that to be true. Aka just shook his head. It was better for everyone if that skeleton stayed 60 feet under…

"Come back in a week. I'll have the boy's board ready in a week. Until then teach him the basics of using an uku-ita. I expect this one to be treated very well until he receives it." Kuro just nodded eager to receive his custom board in a week. Until then, he would practice with his so dubbed 'piece-of-shit.' Aka walked back to the moving thing and waited for Kuro. He pressed another button and they moved back to the first floor. When they stepped outside Aka pulled out a scroll, and unsealing it released an uku-ita. It was silver, with a large pipe connecting to the middle of each of side and ending in a large red circle in the middle. Where the pipe met the edge were small indentions. (I'll try and put up some really rough concept art of the boards.)

"Alright, before we do anything I need to give you a quick lesson on uku-ita piloting. To start your uku-ita simply focus chakra into it. To go higher focus chakra to the center of your board. To slow down simply focus less chakra into your board. To lower yourself focus chakra to the edges of the board. For all of these more chakra equals a greater effect, more chakra, more height, more speed. Now, the only way you can truly master this is practice. So, I want you to meet me at the West Gate of the city." With those instructions Aka threw his board to the ground but before it hit the ground it began to float. He stepped onto the board, twisted around grinning, saluted Kuro before taking off into the city. Kuro just stood there looking at his uku-ita. He laid it on the ground, stepped on it, and focused a small amount of chakra into it. It just laid there. Getting angry Kuro focused a ton of chakra the board slowly sputtered into the air, before shooting up above the city.

Aka sat by the West Gate snoring. His student hadn't shown up for several hours, so he decided to take a nap. He yawned stretched and moved a bit. He tilted his head and listened. He heard a noise. He looked up. He listened very hard. He heard a faint distant cry of, "Look out!" Before he could react a chunk of metal flew out of the air and slammed straight into his chest. His head was knocked back into the tree and the piece of shit, (bet you know what it is know eh?) bounced away. Cradling his head Aka looked up. He saw Kuro running towards him.

"Aka-sensei! Are you alright? I'm so sorry! My board lost control and flew into you, and then I saw it happen, and I was so worried that I might have hurt you are you ok?" Aka nodded his head tenderly just to get Kuro to SHUT UP. His head hurt enough already. He didn't need some kid screaming in his ear. Aka leaned his head back against the tree. He didn't need this noise right now. He looked over at Kuro to see him with a worried expression on his face. He knew he was gonna have to do something. Since he didn't feel like moving around, he decided to explain some of the advancements of Kumo to Kuro.

"Alright Kuro, I've noticed your looks at the buildings of Kumo and some of our technology, so I only feel it fair to explain it to you. Now, get ready, this explanation can take quite a long time…"

_It all began several centuries ago. The nine Bijuu, or Demons, roamed the Earth doing as they pleased. The humans of this time thought of the bijuu not as demons but as Deities sent by the Kami to protect the world. The bijuu reveled in this lavish treatment. They treated the humans fairly, and granted them protection over their specific domains. The bijuu also bless the humans with use of their elements, allowing techniques similar today's jutsu, although powered by different energies, they were the beginning of the end for the bijuu. But to understand that, you must understand the powers of each bijuu._

_The Shobi, the one tailed Tanuki, or raccoon, Shukaku, ruled over sand and the domains of the desert. His people were blessed with limited abilities of sand manipulation and resistance to the harshness of the desert climate. Shukaku's people are the ancestors of the people of Suna. _

_The Nibi, the two tailed Neko, or cat, Nerako ruled over the domain of the mountains. She granted the power of limited lightning abilities and helped her people to live in the harsher climates of mountain tops. The Nibi's people are the ancestors of the people of Kumo._

_The Sanbi, the three tailed Kuma, Kamoro or bear, ruled the forests. He granted the people of his domain plant manipulations, and gave them protection in his forests. Sadly, his people were destroyed years ago. Offline descendants of his people are the founders of Kusa. (Grass) _

_The Yonbi, the four tailed Tsubame, or swallow, Tsibani, ruled the skies and winds. She ruled no people and was a free wanderer. People would often offer gifts to the Yonbi in hopes of good luck, or fair winds on journeys._

_The Gobi, the five tailed Sanshoouo, or salamander, Terisho, ruled over the plains and fields and rocks. He granted his people ground manipulation and toughened body to withstand greater forces and damage. A side effect was an increased amount of bodily strength. His descendants are the founders of Iwa._

_The Rokubi, the six tailed Kujira, or whale, Karoku, was the master of the seas. He was said to speak with the Moon Deity every night when she came to the sky with his long whale songs. He granted the people of his lands water manipulations and increased abilities of breath, specifically those of breathing underwater. The descendants of his people are the founders of Kiri._

_The Nanabi, the seven tailed Shika, or deer, Nariti, was the master of flames and volcanoes. The Nanabi granted her people fire manipulation, and advanced powers of the eyes, for better reflexes. This spawned two doujutsu. The descendants of the Nanabi's people founded the city of Konoha._

_The Hachibi, the eight tailed Hebi, or snake, Hamitic, ruled underground catacombs. He was a mean and selfish and creature. He hoarded gold and jewels and killed any humans foolish to challenge him. He had no people and lived in solitude, forever brooding, supposedly plotting the downfall of the other bijuu._

_The Kyuubi, the nine tailed Kitsune, or fox, Karito, was the strongest of all bijuu. She held amazing powers within in her. Holding no allegiance, and no land, Kyuubi traveled from one bijuu to the next learning their elements. Kyuubi, as the saying goes, was a Jack of all trades, but master of none. This was simply because Kyuubi could not master any element. This was because Kyuubi was aligned with no Deity, and therefore was granted no special abilities._

_Now, the humans were blessed by the bijuu. But they were greedy and deceitful, as humans are. They plotted against the bijuu. Shukaku was sealed into a jar by the sand priests of his people, to be imprisoned forever more. Nerako was captured by her people and was sealed into a human to control her. Kamoro escaped from the humans and disappeared from this world. Tsibani was warned by Kamoro and left with him. Terisho was captured and sealed underground in an eternal hellish prison in the rock which he cared for so much. Karoku evaded capture, and is rumored to sleep in an eternal slumber at the bottom of the ocean. Nariti was hunted down and captured. However, using her powers she used the cover of a volcanic eruption to escape. Hamitic was rumored to have been plotting with the humans for this. But he was betrayed by the humans, and was rumored to have been sealed away in another hidden chamber. Karito was driven over the point of insanity by the actions of the humans. Karito fought for years, alternating between regaining her power for years, before striking in an epic cataclysmic battle. During one of her periods of centuries of slumber, modern day jutsu began to develop. In this time jutsu began to progress at an incredibly rapid pace. By the time Karito came out of her slumber, the city of Konoha had sprung up. She attacked the city, hoping to destroy the entire world in this one assault before her slumber. However, Karito was defeated by the Yondaime Hokage, and was rumored to have been killed; however, Karito was actually sealed into a child._

_To understand how jutsu evolved in these periods, we must go back through the First, Second, and Third Great Shinobi Wars. The First Great War spawned out of the recent leaving or capture of the Bijuu. The different groups were warring between who would control what territories, and who would control the captured Bijuu. With no bijuu to determine the boundaries of the territories, different groups warred for control of larger areas. These eventually settled into the different countries as we know them today. This war was ended when Kyuubi emerged and began ravaging the earth. Several humans managed to hide themselves from her wrath, and survived past that age. The second war came about due to emerging powers that had been forgotten. The humans, having lost most of their elemental manipulation abilities, began experimenting, and discovered chakra. Kyuubi once again emerged from her slumber. However, due to their advanced elemental manipulation skills, Kyuubi was able to be forced back much quicker, and much less loss was suffered. The third war came about due to a conflict between Iwa, Konoha, and Kumo. Shortly after this conflict, Kyuubi once again awoke intent on destroying the world. Kyuubi attacked Konoha, as it was the closest city. This proved to be Kyuubi's downfall. After their war Konoha was desperate. Their Hokage sacrificed himself in order to seal the Kyuubi into a small child. Now, Konoha, instead of following the example of Suna and _at this point Aka paused and left out the next name _hated their jinchuuriki. They abused him and tried to kill him. After the attack of Kyuubi, the jinchuuriki lived in Konoha abused and mistreated for eight years. He was then later taken away to a place where he could live without fear of torment._

Aka sighed finally finishing his long winded explanation of the origins of shinobi and the bijuu. He looked at Kuro who was staring at him with tears in his eyes. Then Aka realized his last sentence. He had accidentally revealed Kuro's secret to him.

The only thoughts in his head at this moment were, _"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!!"_

Before he had a chance to calm Kuro down, he had grabbed his board and was gone off into the city. Aka pulled out his board and set off to find him. How hard could it be to find Naruto's distinctive board?

_Several Hours Later…_

Aka had given up on finding Kuro. The board turned out to be the basic design. The only difference was that the civilians had motors on their boards. Aka went home and lay on his bed. He would find Kuro later… His eyes closed, and he saw a room full of scrolls of old dusty scrolls… _'That almost looks like the archives…'_was Aka's last conscious thought before he fell into a mostly peaceful but somewhat restless slumber.

_Somewhere in Kumo at this same time…_

Kuro was walking dejectedly through the streets of Kumo. Now he knew why they had hated him in Konoha. He had the ninth bijuu, Kyuubi, Karito, sealed within in him. He sniffed as he dragged the hunk of metal along behind him. He had no idea where he was going, and Aka hadn't had a chance to follow him as he had run off so suddenly. He kicked up clouds of dirt and dust as he walked. The city was quiet without the constant hum of the uku-ita. Kuro walked along and leaned against a building looking for some place to rest. As he leaned he felt something budge. Turning to the building he saw the slightest indention in the wall. Mustering up all his strength and what chakra he had, he heaved against the heavy wall. The wall slowly began to move. As it dug into the building it revealed a dimly lit passageway. Parts of the passageway were engulfed in darkness due to the overhead lights being blown out. Kuro squeezed in between the rock and the wall and started down the passageway. If he had looked back he would have a seen a spring loaded metal arm slowly push the block into its original position.

Kuro walked down the strange passageway. As he progressed the lights transferred from more advanced lights controlled by an energy flow in wires, to bulbs of glass filled with huge amounts of chakra to power them. The walls and floor changed from hard stone, to packed dirt, to simply loose gravel and soil. As he progressed deeper and deeper, the lights simply changed to torches that could be empowered by chakra. Kuro grabbed one and continued walking using it to light his way. He came upon an old carved staircase. He slowly descended, feeling the air becomes moist and damp with dirt and decay of untold years. He eventually came to an incredibly old door. It was made of solid oak, and was barred by a thick piece of crudely made steel. Kuro, using his will alone, lifted the metal from its place and pushed the door open.

The door resisted his push. It ground against years of built up soil, and creaked on the rustiest of hinges, creating a sound more likely attributed to a banshee than a rusty hinge. When Kuro entered the next room, his mouth simply hit the floor.

The room was lit by a mysterious bright glowing fungi that clung to every corner, niche, space, area, and wall it could find. In the room were hundreds upon hundreds of towering bookcases that reached from the floor to the impeccably high ceiling. Each was filled with scrolls of unknown content. These scrolls were yellowed and withering with age. Their contents sometimes smeared, or bleached out, or simply just torn away. Several scrolls even suffered from intense fire damage destroying whatever contents the scrolls held. Kuro walked slowly through the shelves not daring to make a noise for fear of alerting someone who wasn't even there. He reached out and tenderly selected one of the scrolls. Carefully unraveling it, Kuro examined what it had written on it.

'…_Has gone horribly wrong. In our attempts to… (Contents destroyed)… we accidentally released something worse. The bijuu, were not simply demons as we have previously thought. In our attempts to control them, we simply angered them. What is one to do when they have angered a Deity? Yes, the bijuu are actually deities of immense power. As I write we're attempting to… (The rest of the scroll from this point on was irreparably damaged.)' _

Kuro closed the scroll and placed it back on the shelf. _'The Bijuu are actually nine deities, not demons?' _Kuro marveled on what impact this must have had. He wondered what the gods must think of them for attempting to kill and entrap nine earth bound deities. Kuro shook his head and moved deeper into the room. As he did he came across scrolls marked with different seals. One was a picture of a hand with an aura surrounding it3 another was marked with a fan, another by an insect of some sort, some were marked by snakes, lightning bolts, clouds, every picture or symbol imaginable was here. Kuro reached out tenderly to grab a scroll with a spiral emblazoned on it. As he unraveled it, he began to read.

'_The Uzumaki Clan. Many believe, or believed, this clan to simply be a nameless clan that has no real claim to fame in this world. A clan that has supposedly stayed out of the way of any village that is known of at this point. The truth is, the Uzumaki, do not exist. The Uzumaki name is simply a cover used by the most wanted and infamous criminals of the world. By assuming this name, they put themselves out of harm's way. An unknown clan would simply draw attention; an already known clan would simply cause suspicion. But the Uzumaki, the Uzumaki were known for being all sorts of different people, with all different sorts of abilities. The Uzumaki clan was simply a cover for them. But there was one power held by those who assumed the name of Uzumaki and this was… (At this point the text became smeared by a liquid of some sort.)'_

Kuro's heart was beating incredibly fast. He had been under the name Uzumaki Naruto before he was rescued. This scroll contained vital information, but as it was, it was of no use. The information was lost. As he looked down, he noticed a newer piece of scroll attached to the previous.

'_Several known ninja to have used the name Uzumaki, at one time or another include Hatake Kakashi, Copy Nin of Konoha. Uchiha Itachi, One of the most Famous Nins to have ever Defected from Konoha. Ryouga Nadare of Snow Country. Koorogi Hae of Grass Country. And most notably, Orochimaru of the Sannin of Konoha. For unknown reasons, all of these ninjas have gone under the guise of Uzumaki. No one has truly been able to discern the origin of the surname, nor has anyone discerned its proper use. Many say it's merely a cloak to hide behind, others say the name holds many unknown powers. But one thing is for certain, the true secrets of the Uzumaki will only be revealed when… (The rest of the scroll is missing due to a tear in the scroll.)'_

Kuro sighed. He had no idea what the rest of this scroll said. And it was the only source of information he had. Kuro replaced the scroll before continuing on his walk. He came to the back wall, and it was the largest he had ever seen. There was a large ladder that rolled on wheels. He looked up and saw a very elderly man on the ladder muttering to himself behind spectacles. He had a long white beard, and wore an old grey robe and hat. He was short and his hair was white and spindly. Kuro coughed before talking.

"Excuse me sir, could you please tell me where I am and what this place is, and who you are?" Kuro asked. The old man peered at him through the spectacles. He slid the ladder to him, before slowly climbing down.

"Why hello there boy. It's been such a long time since I've seen someone here besides myself. And to answer your questions,these are the Sacred Archives of Kumo. These archives contain information on nearly everything in this world. I believe that answers your first two questions, considering they were nearly identical. Now as for whom I am, I am the Keeper of the Names. I have been waiting here for someone to come. I do not know who it is I wait for, nor how long till they arrive. But my mission is clear. Any who approach me are given their scroll. Their scroll is written and placed somewhere along this wall. Each scroll is written containing their destiny. Those who find their way here are allowed to reach their scroll. Now, what's your name?"

"It's Kuro, Kurokoori." The old man looked at him before climbing back onto the ladder. Before Kuro could protest the ladder had flown down the aisle out of his sight with the man's beard flying in the wind behind it. Before he could speak, the ladder came flying back. The old man once again climbed down, except clutched in his hand was a scroll. Its parchment was black, held together by a string of blue and red. The man looked at the scroll and handed it to Kuro.

"Here you are boy. Read it and discover your destiny." The old man smiled as he looked at Kuro expectantly.Kuro slowly opened the scroll and began to read to himself.

'_The shadow of ice, born in the belly of a dragon. Burdened by the gods, he struggles against his will. One day he will fly as a fox in the clouds. Hidden is his inheritance, destined to live a rainbow. Grown to hate a reptile that he is destined to love. Secrets float among the clouds, hiding the storm beneath. Only the fox can soothe the beast. 4' _

Kuro looked up to ask the old man about the scroll, but he saw the man was missing. He heard a jovial laugh ring through the halls as he held the scroll. He looked at the scroll one more time before heading to place it on the shelf. He didn't know what stopped him, but he pocketed it instead. It intrigued him to no end…


	4. Secrets of Cloud Pt 2

Kuro looked around at the dusty tomes

Kuro looked around at the dusty tomes. He had no idea what most of them were, or even why they were here. The information was incredibly valuable… (I'm trying not to make him overly smart, but he is going to be much more deductive then implied in the manga/anime.) But with valuable information, along with everything else valuable, there were people who would wish to, _acquire_, this information. Information on almost everything would be quite useful. Kuro's mind marveled at all of the possibilities that this genie's cave of information presented. Kuro quickly calmed those thoughts before remembering a proverb from the Academy.

"_Do Not Allow Thyself To Lust For Power, Lest Ye Become Consumed By It."_ At the time Kuro had brushed it off, thinking of how it was impossible to be too powerful. But, looking back, Itachi, Orochimaru, and all the traitors of Konoha, left for lust of power. Power was like an addictive drug; it implanted itself in your brain the first time, and sent impulses to you. Little tiny almost unheard voices. They spoke in sugary honey coated terms; luring you into a deathly trap of hatred and power, an endless cycle of self-destruction. The hatred drove you to strive for power, the power, and the feeling that comes with it, fueling your hatred. Like two leeches that suck off each other, and are able to continuously grow, for their blood never seems to lower. Kuro shivered at his own analogy, an image of two large slithering leeches enrapturing the other's flesh in their mouths, gorging on the blood of their host's, which in case, was basically their own blood. He also imagined them growing larger and larger, entwining more and more. Kuro shook the image from his head and started down a different section of the shelves.

This section proved to be a mystery. There were fewer and fewer scrolls and they were beginning to look more and more aged, and decrepit. Kuro picked one up and looked at it for a moment.

"_Ik tali bi furit magi nahy sdi waeq oh ma ji kuudl opopopl buvc hye." _Kuro gave the scroll a strange look. What kind of text was that? He had never seen anything like it, and he had never heard of something like it either, in the Elemental Countries at least. He carefully replaced the delicate before reaching for another one. As he opened it he could see that he was able to read part of this one.

"…_est Honor for one such as me it was. To be wed to Princess Kinhane. The daughter of the most powerful man in all of Japan! Father and mother would be so proud if only… if only there were still here." _**At this point several patches of smudged ink can be seen. It can only be assumed that they were the result of tears.**_ "But, I must fulfill my role as the last member of the Uzu Line, to be married to Maki Kinhane… A glorious union of our two families that have been sworn enemies for generations!"_ Kuro set the scroll down.It was obviously a diary of someone from this country, 'Japan,' he called it. He didn't feel the need to pry further into the man's life, even though he had been dead for many years. He randomly picked another scroll with a note on the side.

"_It has rarely been seen, but by binding one's self with not a beast or element, but rather specific sounds, one is able to gain specific abilities based on the sounds, or lyrics. The more complex the composition the greater the power that is received by binding one's self to it."_ Kuro put the scroll back, unsatisfied. What a stupid idea… binding yourself to _music?_ (1) What shinobi would be stupid enough to do that…?

Kuro continued walking through the maze of shelves. He moved deeper and deeper. The glowing fungi became more abundant, yet the room seemed to dim even more rather than glow brighter. The shelves grew smaller and smaller as the ceiling lowered more and more. Many shelves were bare, some showing signs of fire damage, others overgrown with plants of an unknown variety that seemed to sprout in strange colors. Strange purples and teals, and dark reds flowed together and converged in disgusting forms. It was like a sick perversion of Nature… This blatant disrespect to life appalled Kuro. He continued walking though. As he neared a small shelf, he noted a scroll on the shelf. It was the only one for quite a ways. Kuro approached it cautiously. It simply held a black wax seal. It contained no pole for the scroll to unravel upon. The wax held no special design. It was simply a seal of black wax. Kuro reached his hand towards the scroll. His hand was shaking mere inches from the scroll. As he gripped the scroll, the wax seal began to bubble and froth violently. It began to melt and slid off the scroll. As it hit the ground, any living thing that touched the wax simply ceased to be a living thing. Kuro shivered and stepped back from the patch of fungi that had shriveled up and was now a dying mass of cells. He cautiously opened the scroll and began to read it.

"_Chakra, the most basic of needs of every living creature. It even flows through everything that does not have life. In essence chakra is the life force of the universe. Now, everyone knows of chakra, and its color. All human chakra is blue. The blue represents the purity of human kind. No matter how many people they kill, humans are still the most un-taintable of every creature that exists. Demons, on the other hand use a distinctly different chakra called youkai. Now, human chakra is actually termed rakoui. But most see demons as not having chakra, instead terming it something separate, youkai. Youkai is different in the fact, that while rakoui contains the ability to hear its wielder and is like water, soothing and refreshing, youkai is erratic, dangerous, and unpredictable. It is able to heal its wielder, and sometimes even humans, although, being exposed too many times to youkai can begin to have adverse affects on the human body. The most notable is the transformation of the human into a hanyou, a half-demon. After this transformation the hanyou is able to handle the youkai without any adverse effects, but, hanyou can wield neither youkai, nor rakoui. They instead wield hiori. Hiori is a mixture of youkai and rakoui. None have had enough experience with hanyou to be able to report how their hiori feels. Hiori is typically green in color. Now, there have been cases of different colors of chakra. Youkai has been reported as yellow, grey, orange, and even dark blue. Hiori has only been reported as flashes of green or dark green. Rakoui, however, has been seen, and discovered as being the most versatile. It has been seen in every color imaginable, most coming from a specific clan. The most dangerous color of chakra was deemed to be the black chakra. The black chakra is typically associated with the Zetsuboo (2) Clan. The Zetsuboo clan was the most common wielder of multi-colored chakra. Their power was unrivaled. If one encountered one wielding black chakra they were doomed to an eternal hell in the bowels of Jigoku. (3) _

_Enough of that particular subject. There was a particular reason as to why black chakra was feared. Black chakra was the chakra of Jigoku and Tengoku. (4) It held the power of transformation. From Jigoku it held the ability to transform its wielder into a demon of incredibly high caliber and power. The Tengoku aspect held the power to transform its wielder into an Archangel, a direct server of Saikoo Tono. (5) Either way they were able to wield the power of the Shu no Mitama. (6) It is unheard of for them to actually ever wield the Shu no Mitama. It was only bestowed by Akuma or Saikookami. (7) To wield the power of black chakra to its fullest extent one must…" _**From this point on the scroll is irreparably damaged. It is covered in marks varying from those like the claws of a best, to those of a raging fire,to those of unknown botany, to those of lightning, to those of physical tearing marks.**

Kuro tried to set the scroll down. It had intrigued, and disturbed, him to no end. It spoke of evil things, and things no mortal man was ever meant to lay their eyes on. He felt disgusting just having read it. As his hand neared the shelf it began to shake. He didn't want to set the scroll down he realized. Instead he placed it in his pocket next to the first scroll about his 'destiny.' He walked past the shelf, and continued on his way. He saw no other scrolls and eventually came to a large door. He walked towards it and gave it a solid shove. Expecting it to move grudgingly and slowly, it did quite the opposite. It slide open on oiled hinges. Inside was something that Kuro in his eight years of life, would have ever imagined. Not even after the vicious beatings and bloody tortures would this place have manifested itself within the bowels of his mind.

Scene Break

Aka slowly woke up from his rest. He yawned and stretched. He smiled happily. It was a good day. He could feel the sun shining warming his skin, a nice contrast to the usually cool air of Kumo. He lied back down on his soft down feather bed. He was lucky to have a penthouse apartment like this one. It was about 3 times as large as a normal apartment. (6) He sighed and brushed the silk sheets aside. He stood up leaving the comfort of his goose down mattress. It was very expensive but to Aka, it was more than worth it. The pay from being one of the Raikage's Special Ops P.A.R.T. member had a few perks. Like the fact he could afford this kind of lifestyle. He slowly walked to his kitchen rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He opened his cabinets and prepared himself a bowl of nice hot steaming oatmeal. Something like that always hit the spot on mornings in a place like Kumo. Aka hummed as he cleaned up. He smiled and thought to himself.

'_Hm… today I think I'll have a few runs on my uku-ita. Maybe the Raikage will even let Kuro… OH SHIT! KURO!' _With those thoughts in his mind Aka jumped from the window of his apartment, pulling out his uku-ita and setting off through the city. As he sailed he remembered the image that had appeared in his mind before he had fallen asleep. _'The archives? But those have been lost for centuries! No one knows where they are, except maybe the Raikage. If Kuro did find some way to get to the archives then this may be worse then I thought. The archives supposedly held information about everything. If Kuro finds any information about his seal…'_ Aka cut off the thought and increased his speed as he changed directions for the Raikage's tower.

Scene Break

The Raikage stood in front of a window with his hands crossed behind his back. He made no motion as the door to his office flew open.

"Raikage-sama! Kuro is…" before Aka could finish the Raikage cut him off.

"Gone. I know. Normally, due to our extensive surveillance, we would be able to locate him quite easily. However, he has infiltrated the area of the village with the highest level of security. Yet, this area is almost impossible for us to chase him into. He's entered The Archives."

"The Archives? But, they're only a myth, right?"

"I sometimes wish they were Aka. The Archives are all too real for my liking. They contain information on every clan, village, bloodline, person, and technique, anything you could imagine. Yet, if you enter, you will only find information related to that which you seek." Aka opened his mouth to speak, but the Raikage cut him off again. "I said related, which is why The Archives are confusing. They will not tell you what it is you seek, because you do not know what you seek. The Archives will follow your deepest desire. Most likely, in Kuro's case, where did he come from, who were his parents? In my case when I found the archives many years ago…I found information on what I sought. And to this day I regret finding it at all."

"What was it you were looking for, sir?"

"I was searching for answers to the problems of Kumo. How to help us prosper. And find it I did. It helped us to build many of the things we have today. It helped us to power the city, but in the end, it cost us more than we gained. It cost us a life. But, what s the cost of one life compared to the prosperity of one city? This life we lost was an innocent! They weren't a battle hardened shinobi, killed in the line of duty. They were an innocent, a child. And I stole her life. No city or technology is worth the life of an innocent child." Tears were streaming down the Raikage's face as he spoke. "The worst part is, this wasn't just any child. I sacrificed her myself. I sacrificed my own daughter for the city…"

Aka was stunned. He had no idea the Raikage had had a daughter. But, there were a lot of things almost no one knew. He just kept looking at the Raikage disbelief obvious on his face.

"Tell me Aka, how do you know about Riagiri?"

"Riagiri?"

"Yes Aka, Riagiri, also known as the Madman of Kumo…"

Scene Break

Kuro stepped into the room that was behind the door. He could hear his shoes clack on the tile floors even though he wore sandals. He reached for a wall and flipped a switch. As the lights buzzed on Kuro could not help but stare. No amount of psychological training could prepare someone for this sight.

In the room lay many large vertical tubes attached to large mechanical consoles. Many were broken, and few were unscathed. One or two was filled with a green fluid. Upon closer inspection, there was something inside the fluid. Kuro wiped away the grime, before screaming and stumbling backwards. He was staring into the face of a man. But it was hard to even call it a man now. His face was terrible distorted. Where his mouth had been, a long narrow bill like set of bone extended. His nose had all but disappeared and was now just barely visible above the bill like extension. His eye sockets were hollow, and within them, he could spot the remnants of mechanics of some sort. Looking closer he could see the man's head was bald, and had large spikes of bone extending from it. His neck was unusually long, and coiled like a spring. His body was incredibly, and although he could see his bones through the skin, there was no evidence of any ribs. His back was curved at an unnatural angle, and two large bony like wings extended from his spine. Thin bones held a waxy like membrane together on the wings. His legs were disgustingly bent behind his back his wings, at an unnatural angle suggesting that his legs had been broken off his pelvis. His feet had been replaced by claw like structures, again, made of bone. Kuro just started at the monstrosity that had once been a man. Kuro stumbled on past the tube, the creature inside, still floating around his mind.

Kuro stumbled deeper and deeper into the lab. Discarded needles riddled the floor. There were patches of dried blood on the floor, and bones could be seen lying on the floor. A skull peered at Kuro through sightless eyes, its jaws opened forever in a silent scream of its owner's last moments. A strange stench reached Kuro's nose as he traveled even deeper into the lab. It reeked of something Kuro could not place. He came to a table situated between two of the tubes. There books, and papers scattered across the table. Several of the titles could still be read. The Human Anatomy and Its Adverse Affects. An Examination of Human Machinations. How Humans are what they are. Diagrams on the papers could be seen. They depicted the human anatomy, with black marks made over different organs with notes scribbled beside them. Before Kuro get a better look he heard a voice.

"Whoooo are yooou?" Kuro stiffened. There was someone else here? He slowly turned around and came face to face with…

Scene Break

"The Madman of Kumo?"

"Yes Aka, Riagiri. He is a much unknown ninja of Kumo. Although his deeds were similar to that of Orochimaru of Konoha, he was able to keep it secret for far longer. He always kept to the shadows, and was very withdrawn. He tended to disappear for months at a time. The key factor that allowed him to stay hidden was the fact that he didn't use Kumo shinobi for his experiments. He paid Missing Nin to come with him. After he had them trapped, he would take back the money he had paid them, and continued his experimenting. But the main factor was where he was hiding his base of operations. He hid it behind the archives, for he had somehow found his way there. He would often look through the scrolls, attempting to find more information on how to morph the human anatomy. But he never found them. The only scrolls he found were those speaking of kindness and compassion. The things he had desired most in his life. To bury these feelings, he experimented on the shinobi, controlled them, and made them into things that they were not. He made them devoted followers. He wasn't evil, no, he was not. He only wanted someone to love him, someone to care about him, and allow himself to care for them. He thought his subjects would fill that void, but it only succeeded in driving him mad. He discovered his creations incapable of anything besides devotion to serve."

"So, what happened to Riagiri?"

"His creations turned on him. They broke free of their containments and attacked him. His body was never found, only pieces of what used to be him. The creations presumably killed each other off since they had no idea of what to do next, and their only instinct was to fight."

"But Raikage-sama, if they killed each other off, wouldn't there be one left alive at the end of it all?"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of Aka. If Kuro has found his way to the lab, and your idea is true, it could prove to be the manifestation of all our fears."

"A manifestation of our fears?"

"Yes Aka. Riagiri played on the fears of his opponents. If his enemy was a homophobic, his creation would constantly be seeping blood from every pore. If his opponent couldn't stand insects, his creation would have eight legs and wings, and would buzz. He was a master of fears, having lived in them for so many years." Aka could think of nothing to say at this point.

Scene Break

Kuro swallowed hard. He had no idea if he should answer the voice or not. He had no idea what could possibly be living here.

"No need to fear me boy. I won't kill you. Just tell me, what is your name? I haven't seen anyone here for, well, I've been alone for many years…"

"My name is Kurokoori. And, what is yours if I may ask sir?"

"Ahahahaha! Sir! I like that! You boy, may have the honor of calling me Sir Kumo!" Kuro got the feeling this man was grinning.

"Ok, so, you're Sir Cloud?"

"No boy. I'm Sir Spider."

"Sir.…Spider? Why are you called that? Do you work with spiders or something?

"No boy…It is something else. I will show myself to you if you promise to stay and not run. It has been far too long since I had company." Kuro nodded, bracing himself for whatever would emerge from the shadows. What did emerge was not what he expected.

The man's body had been misshapen resembling that of a spider's. He had many eyes, Kuro guessed about eight, and had eight legs that were all just extended arms. His body was held about eight feet off the ground by his incredibly long legs. His hair was a fading grey, and his face seemed quite hollow. His face held no emotion, and he waited for a reaction from Kuro.

"Sir Kumo, what happened to you?"

The man sighed. "It is a short story my boy. I originally come from a clan in the Village hidden in the Grass. I was capture on a mission, when I passed too close to Kumo territory. I was captured by a madman named Riagiri. He kept me here for years under experimentation, and using my clan's affinity with spiders, transformed me into the…thing…you see before you…"

"Sir Kumo, you are no "thing." Even if you may have a different body, and move differently, to me you are still a man. But, could you please explain how this place ended up as it did?"

"Very well boy. You see, Riagiri kept us all under heavy security, and allowed us no contact. But one day, one of us tapped against the glass, using a claw, seemingly in sporadic twitches. But if one listened closely enough, they could hear it was an old shinobi code. Using this method of communication, we plotted our revolt against Riagiri. One day, the signal was given. We don't know by how, but it was. When the first of us broke through, Riagiri attempted to control us using implants he used, we had no idea how strong it was, but our hate was too strong. We managed to fight off his commands. He initiated an emergency back-up that began to course deadly poison, and electricity through our containments. Most of us were able to break through before it reached us, but a few, were unable to escape… They died horrible deaths, although, I'm sure many others would have preferred that fate."

"What happened to those who escaped?"

"We managed to slaughter Riagiri. And afterwards, the devices implanted in our skulls shut off. With our now free will, we didn't know what to do. We were forced back to our most basic instinct. Fight. I hid myself, and watched as they tore each other limb from limb… They gouged out each other's eyes, ripped out their tongues, stabbed their faces, and mutilated them. In the end, I only survived because I hid myself, and struck against the last one, piercing his skull from behind with some bear creature's claw. I was trapped here, forced to live off the flesh of the dead, and any creatures that wandered in here. I survived off the water that eventually dripped into here from somewhere above. I waited here for someone, like you."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Do you want help getting out of here? I can guide us out…"

"That would be… most appreciated boy. Living in these conditions has dimmed my eyesight to near blindness. I was never able to escape due to my inability to find a way out. And you are willing to simply guide me out?"

"Yes Sir Kumo. You have suffered even more than I have. I only feel it right if I am able to help someone such as yourself that was trapped against their will, and forcibly experimented on."

Tears were running down Sir Kumo's eyes now. "Thank you bo… no, Kurokoori-sama. There is no other way I can express my gratitude. And if for some reason I am unable to make it out, or I am attacked and killed, I ask you one thing."

"What's that Kumo-san?"

"I want you to find my son, Kidoumaru. He deserves to know what happened to his father. And if he denies that you tell the truth, tell him my name, and our clan's motto."

"What is your true name Kuro-san?"

"My real name is Gesshoku. (8) And our clan's motto is, _A single spider's strand is as weak as fine silk, but when banded together, it is stronger than steel."_ (9)

"If you are unable to deliver this message yourself, then I would be honored to Gesshoku-san." Kuro said with a deep bow.

"Alrighty then. Now Kuro-sama, would be so kind as to allow me to wrap something around your waist so that I am able to follow you?" Kuro nodded and Gesshoku began to pull a length of spider web from his mouth.

Scene Break

"So, do you think Kuro is…?"

"Aka, I can say nothing for sure, but I do believe Kuro is alright. Even if he does encounter the final lasting creature in that lab, I am sure he would be more than capable enough to defeat it. I'm not sure if you've noticed Aka, but he is…"

"The vessel for the Kyuubi no Kitsune." The Raikage seemed shocked. "Please Raikage-sama; I'm not a member of P.A.R.T. for nothing." The Raikage nodded accepting this. He stood still before quickly glancing around.

"What is it Raikage-sama!"

"Kuro! His chakra has…resurfaced! He has left the archives! Aka, quickly, search out the boy and bring him here immediately!" The Raikage practically yelled.

Aka nodded before pulling out his uku-ita and running towards the window, he leaped through an open window landing on his board and sailing through Kumo.

Scene Break

As Kuro walked out of the small passageway that led to the archives, he called out to the darkness. "Come on Gesshoku-san! Be careful though, it's pretty bright out here." The large spider like man stepped from the darkness squinting and shielding his eyes. He gazed around admiring the city.

"Kuro-sama, it has been many years since I have seen the light, and in addition to that, never have I seen a place so beautiful and magnificent!" Kuro just smiled until he saw Aka land a few feet away.

"Kuro! Run while you still can! I'll fight off this evil monster while you escape!" Aka yelled at Kuro, attempting to help him.

Gesshoku frowned at Aka's comment. "Kuro-sama, it is to be expected. My appearances are quite deceiving to most people. Maybe I should go back… It may be better for me…"

"No Gesshoku-san. I promised you that I would get you out of there, and I will not allow you to go back there! If anyone has even the slightest problem with your appearance, then they'll have me to go through before they get to you!" Kuro stated defiantly. He didn't notice Gesshoku's smile, or the tears running down his face.

"Yes Kuro-sama! As you wish, I will not go back there, and I thank you for your protection." Aka stared in disbelief at what was transpiring before him. This thing, called Kuro SAMA? Kuro had obviously done something very large for this thing, but he had no idea what it was he had done. He figured it couldn't be too bad.

"Come on Kuro, we need to go see the Raikage." Kuro nodded before saying something to Gesshoku.

"Alright, but I won't go without my friend Gesshoku-san." Aka sighed. He really didn't want the thing to follow them.

"It is alright Kuro-sama. I believe that I will be able to keep up with your mode of transportation. Although I may have eight arms it actually improves my speed rather than impair it. If we must ascend any heights, I am able to climb these building walls." Kuro nodded.

"Alright Aka, I'm ready to go. Gesshoku-san here will follow behind us. And I'll tell you exactly what it was I told him. If you got a problem with the way he looks because of that bastard Riagiri, you'll have to go through me before I let you even lay a finger on him." Aka blinked. Riagiri had done that to this man. He clenched his fists in anger. Riagiri was more of a demented psychopath than anyone had guessed. Aka presumed he had only made slight modifications, such as adding vocal chords, or attachments, not completely transforming the body of one of his subjects! Aka shook it off he needed to speak with the Raikage about this matter.

Scene Break

The Raikage leaned on his desk his fingers interlaced in front of him. He was looking at the three figures in front of him. One was his trusted follow Aka, member of the Special Ops P.A.R.T. Squad(11), another was Kurokoori, formerly known Uzumaki Naruto, vessel of the dreaded demon Kyuubi no Kitsune. (10) The third figure was someone he never even knew existed. His name was Gesshoku and he had been a subject of Riagiri's before Riagiri had been killed. The man resembling a spider appeared to have an impressive level of speed, and spider like abilities, from what he had heard, and his reference to Kuro as Sama, lead him to believe Gesshoku was loyal to a fault to Kuro for saving him. He had heard his eyesight was bad, but he knew that was fixable. The Raikage sighed; this day just wouldn't seem to end.

"Ok, Kuro, please explain to me what happened after you…discovered you were the Kyuubi's vessel, and you found the archives."

"After discovering the archives I examined several scrolls that contained shocking information. They contained information about the Uzumaki clan, and some sort of ability that came with them, but the scroll was destroyed beyond that point. I also discovered a text that spoke of some event involving one of the Nine Deities. Oh yes, the 'Nine Bijuu' are actually nine incredibly powerful deities sent to protect the world. As I am sure you know they were driven away by the blatant destruction of their world, and disgusting treatment towards them. Besides that, I discovered a large archive of scrolls supposedly detailing the destiny of everyone in history, in cryptic messages. A strange old man delivered my scroll. In fact I still have it…"

Kuro produced the document and the others looked at it with distinct interest. "I also found a scroll about youkai, rakoui, and hiori, the three most distinctive brands of chakra. I also brought that one along with me…" Kuro produced the other scroll causing even more attention to be drawn to him. The Raikage looked at the scrolls he had produced and took a deep breath.

"In light of this information and these recent events, I see only one thing fit to do. And that is…"

_Zetsuboo – Despair_

_Jigoku – Hell_

_Jigoku and Tengoku – Hell and Heaven_

_Saikoo Tono – Supreme Lord. Some may refer to this figure as "God"_

_Shu no Mitama – Spirit of the Lord_


	5. Mission

4 years later

4 years later

Kuro was standing over the Raikage's tower. Over the last 4 years, he had been personally trained by the Raikage and his now father, Akakumo.

Kuro rose up through the ranks and was now the youngest P.A.R.T member in Cloud History. He was known as Black Devil. Kuro also gained a summoning contract after meeting Kyuubi, the fabled fox contract.

"Kuro, please come here!" called the Raikage.

'Yes sensei.'

'Kuro, I'm sending you on a scouting mission. You will infiltrate the Leaf Village as a genin and go to the Chunin exams to learn more about Leaf's defensive strength. Two genin will also be with you to make a three man team with Akakumo pretending to be jonin leader.'

'Why me? Others may recognize me. Why not send a really genin that is very well trusted who could not be recognized?'

'Because, you are the only one powerful enough to not only protect yourself in this exam but protect others because the Hyuuga will surely be wanting to kill you.'

'I understand sensei. When do we leave?'

'You will meet your team tomorrow and head off in a week. I want you and your father to be on guard and give detailed reports by means of your summoning contract.'

'Okay sensei.'

'Dismissed, now get your hard head out of here and go do some training so one day you can finally take over this position and I can go retire in peace.'


	6. Kohana

That was just what Kuro did. Kuro used blood clones thought to him by Kyuubi to multiple his training time. He and his clones practiced a variety of elemental Justus and various others along with working with his foxes. Kuro also trained with some weapons such as some puppets, swords and daggers to complement his tiajustu styles.

After a week had passed, he met with his new teammates Obi Karmo and Tempus Fudget (I NEED HELP WITH OC NAMES!!!!). They traveled to Kohana.

"Halt, state your reasons for coming here and show your passports." Said the guard at the gate.

"Here," said Akakumo giving them to the guard, "we are here for the Chunin exams."

"Proceed," exclaimed the guard.

"Team," said Akukumo, "I'm going to the Hokage's tower to check us in, meanwhile you can either go to the hotel or explore just don't get into trouble."

"Yes sensei" said the other two genin.

While his teammates went to the hotel, Kuro went to places he had once been before. When he entered the ramen stand, he was bombarded with memories of the 3rd and Iruka taking him there. After he ate a whopping ten bowls of ramen, he ran into Garra, Kankuro, and Temari beating up a shrimp while a pink haired banshee look scared enough to piss her pants. He first met them on a mission to assonate a rouge Sand nin and was friends with them ever since, he also helped Garra control his demon.

"Hey guys," he said, "what are you guys doing?"

"Just beating up this shrimp for running into me," replied Kankuro.

"Now what did I tell you about playing nice," Kuro.

"Not To" answered Kankuro.

"Look what you did Kuro, you just made him worse!" Berated an angry Temari.

After more mindless chatter, with Garra showing up and adding his sarcastic humor the idiot Sasguy came up with more idiotic ways to embarrass himself.

"What are you doing here?" He shouted stupidly.

"Oh look, mister gaywad is here. Well, you little rookie if you're so pathetic you don't know why don't you go and play ninja with little miss banshee. Come on you guys, let's get out of here before is stupidness infects us." Kuro said.

With that Kuro and the Sand trio left leaving a furious Uchia and a dimwitted Sakura.

Kuro arrived at the hotel after spending some time sparing with Garra. After helping Garra with his demon the two had formed a bond of brotherhood and Garra also thought of Naruto as a sensei. Whenever they got together, Kuro tested Garra's limits and gave him some advice. Noticing that it was getting late Kuro fell asleep.


End file.
